Ohio Muzzleloader Season Thoughts
 

I was just wanting to know what everyones thoughts are on the 2010 Muzzy season in Ohio. Did anyone take advantage of the season?

I didnt like the change, I liked the way it was before. More students, Military and families were home to take part (plus me). Less deer have shed antlers also. Maybe im just still stewing about the change, I've always had great results.


I hear in early Feb they are having a meeting on the Regs for 2010-2011, so there might be a chance of a change.

Everyones thoughts???

How was it befor and what did they change? Im from N.Y., just wondering what you liked befor vs now?
(BP)

Sorry about that.

It use to be 27-30 of December. Break most peoples Christmas break....now its Jan 9-12.

the new season was different but turned out well for me. the season used to run dec 27-30 and this year ran jan 9-12. i liked the fact that the deer had a reasonable amount of time to cool off after the regular week of gun season and the extra weekend. last year the deer were all still a little spooky. as far as more shed bucks well i have two thoughts on this yes i can see that being a slim possibility but last year my best friend shot a shed buck during the regular week. this year i harvested a 9 point durling this pushed back primitive season and his horns were firmly attached so i dont know if that is really a big problem. the other thought on this is if your trophy hunting you should be doing so during our long archery season i understand being picky but if you wait until the last firearms season your options are going to be slightly less on bucks after 3 months of bows and 9 days of shotgun gang drives. if you want to harvest a buck with the muzzleloader try using it throughout the entire firearms season.

oh and i went to an odnr open house like 3 yrs ago to reccomend new regulations and discuss the current regs and at div 1 we were pretty much told they will do what they want and if you want anything changed best get a big washington style lobby group not their exact words but what the majority of us took from the meeting ( who needs a right to retreive law anyway??????)

I found that more than anything the reason a deer sheds it's horns is stress. How harsh the winter was, how much food was available ect. As for (your) season being later it's probably a good thing as mentioned above it gave them time to settle down. With only 3 days of Late ML Season you have your work cut out for you! All My Best and Good Luck!
(BP)

I liked the old season better. I hunt Ohio every year when I go back to visit my folks. The old season coincided very nicely with Christmas, so I could go home for the holidays and get in some nice hunting while I was at it. This year, I ended up going for the bonus weekend and staying several days after for an early Christmas. I had a great hunt and got a deer, but it would have been nicer to have the old Dec 27 - 30 dates.

Just my 2 cents....

Aside from the crappy weather this year, i was ok with it. As stated earlier, the deer were back in their regular feed mode around here. I didn't get out till monday and tues. and took a huge doe on tues. in the last hour. I work construction and get a couple months off in the winter so it doesn't bother me much, but, i do see the point of it being more convenient over the christmas and new yrs holidays for most.

im not totally defending the new season just saying the recovery time for the deer benefitted us nicely but i myself would rather have muzzleloader inmid to late october or the first of november to catch rut and not after the whole state has been shot to pieces

I can only say keep dreaming....a ML Season During the Rut!LOL You'd have the Bowhunters screaming. I for one Love the Rut for Bowhinting, a gun season during this time would kill the rut and all the deer would go nocturnal, the rut would only occur under the cover of darkness. I dont live in your state but if it happened in mine we'd, no it would never happen. Enjoy Hunting with your Bow if you do and let them Big Boys reproduce and be lucky you can see them at this time.
(BP)

i do bow hunt and it is my picky buck time and i let alot walk but i would rather have gun season as the last season of the year with muzzleloader before it but hey i know a rut muzzleloader will never happen but its something to wish for

I prefer the January ML season myself. Gives the Deer a chance to settle down.

I know it's not during the rut, but Kansas has an early muzzleloading season which is the last week of Sept and first week of October. That coupled with the Missouri rifle season starting the second Saturday of November (lasting 2 weeks) and the Missouri muzzleloading season being 2 weeks long at the end of December should keep my Accura plenty busy next year!

All I can say to you my friend is welcome to Virginia!!! Our Rut and BP season are usually one and the same. It doesn't stop the Rut or have it go noctunal. I have enjoyed many days in the woods in my stand and watching the bucks chase the does. I have also watched bucks work scrapes and made rubs. And as far as the bow hunters, and I am one, they have a chance at an early Rut if that happens.

And how about the bow hunters in the woods when the deer are strolling around with no pressures from anyone??? They get a distinct advantage of being in the woods for a month before our ML season starts. ;)

And if you like the idea of being in the woods during ML season, you have a personal invite for next year to come on down.

Work keeps me away during the archery season. I'd rather bowhunt when i go to Ohio. Muzzleloader season helps make the most of my Ohio hunt. Maybe its just luck, but I've taken some really nice deer during the old muzzy season, it hooked me for sure.

I live in Missouri and when I go out to hunt its to visit my parents. So I have to make a family trip of it (my wife is off during Christmas break).

I few friends from Ohio said they saw a few deer missing an antler, I dont have any trail cam pics yet either.

I would like to see Ohio have a early Muzzy season. I dont think its going to happen though.

I do agree that it gives the deer more time to settle down. But during the old muzzy season I never had a problem with skittish deer.

I've heard a rumor that the state has thought about opening the firearms season on that Saturday after Thanksgiving.

I though the change was stupid and I refused to hunt during the MZ season this year. I've complained several times with email...

I think we should have the early season MZ hunt in October made statewide. Currently it is only on three state hunting areas.

Doug

bad news
 

well I doubt the season will get changed back to Dec. now:

Hunters Take 24,078 White-tailed Deer During
Statewide Muzzleloader Season

Its all about the numbers.


The weather was good for hunting (snow) is what I've heard. I wonder how much of a difference that made.

I think the later season STUNK it was way too cold and alot of hunters that i know stayed home till the last day when it got alittle warmer outside. i personally hunted on sunday...monday and tuesday and didnt see a deer till tuesday when i hunted a small 2 acre piece of woods behind my parents house that NOONE hunts on and then i took a small doe just to fill my tag..............every where that i hunted the deer were really herded up and bedded down tight in the biggest thickets that they could find and they were not moving at all .............id definitely prefer that they move the season back to december next year again !!



honestly IF ohio is serious about thinning the herd down in some of the severely over populated areas (Tuscarawas County for one) like they say they are they should consider a DOE ONLY SEASON for gun and then they could thin down the herd of does.............THAT WILL PROBABLY NEVER HAPPEN theres too many RACK ONLY HUNTERS in Ohio and i think that is exactly why the deer numbers are so out of control in Tusc County...........i know on one farm that i hunt the land owner will give permits to just about anyone to hunt and he was telling he that he had 23 deer taken off of his ground that he knows of and 15 of them were BUCKS............he said he is getting pretty ticked off that NOONE wants to shoot any does the week after muzzle loader season he was seeing herds of deer in the fields 15-20 at a time digging in the snow for food and he didnt see ANY WITH RACKS..........he is actually talking about only allowing people to hunt his farm that will take at least ONE DOE before they kill any bucks but hes not sure how he can enforce that rule ??

big problem here in Ohio is anything with a rack gets shot at... they just start blasting... I noticed people using shotguns during muzzleloader season. Heard several times the "bang, bang, autoloader muzzleloader"...

I think that goes on alot. Just listen to people tell there deer hunting stories, Joe Bob shot twice and Billy Joe shot a couple more (during muzzy season).

The state only cares about the numbers. Well.....we will see come Feb.